Nepal

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The Annapurna range of the Himalayas.
Lake Phoksundo in Dolpo.
Kali Gandaki Gorge is one of the deepest gorge
on earth.
Marshyangdi Valley There are many such valleys in the Himalaya
created by glacier flows.
Nepal
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Mount Everest, the highest peak on earth, lies on the
Nepal-China border
Wind erosion in Kalopani.
A field in Terai.
Phulchowki Hill.
Nepal
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Politics
Main article: Politics of Nepal
Nepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Up until 1990, Nepal was a monarchy under
executive control of the King. Faced with a communist movement against absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in
1990, agreed to a large-scale political reform by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the King as the head of
state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral, consisting of a House of Representatives called the Pratinidhi Sabha and a
National Council called the Rastriya Sabha. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected
by the people. The National Council had 60 members: ten nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of
Representatives, and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The
legislature had a five-year term but was dissolvable by the king before its term could end. All Nepali citizens 18
years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party
securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the
king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal tended to be highly unstable, falling
either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch, on the recommendation of the prime
minister, according to the constitution; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991.
The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation's governance: an interim constitution was
promulgated, with the King giving up power, and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist
members after the new government held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The number of parliamentary seats was
also increased to 330. In April 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of
Nepal.
In December 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill making Nepal a federal republic, with a president as head of
state. Elections for the constitutional assembly were held on 10 April 2008; the Maoist party led the results but did
not achieve a simple majority of seats. The new parliament adopted the 2007 bill at its first meeting by an
overwhelming majority, and King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the Royal Palace in central Kathmandu. He
left on 11 June.
On 26 June, the prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who had served as Acting Head of State since January 2007,
announced that he would resign on the election of the country's first president by the Constituent Assembly. The first
round of voting, on 19 July, saw Parmanand Jha win election as Nepali vice-president, but neither of the contenders
for president received the required 298 votes and a second round was held two days later. Ram Baran Yadav of the
Nepali Congress party defeated Maoist-backed Ram Raja Prasad Singh with 308 of the 590 votes cast. Koirala
submitted his resignation to the new president after Yadav's swearing-in ceremony on 23 July.
Prachanda speaking at a rally in Pokhara.
On 15 August 2008, Maoist leader Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal)
was elected Prime Minister of Nepal, the first since the country's
transition from a monarchy to a republic. On 4 May 2009, Dahal
resigned over on-going conflicts with regard to the sacking of the
Army chief. Since Dahal's resignation, the country has been in a
serious political deadlock with one of the big issues being the proposed
integration of the former Maoist combatants, also known as the
People's Liberation Army, into the national security forces. After
Dahal, Jhala Nath Khanal of CPN (UML) was elected the Prime
Minister. Khanal was forced to step down as he could not succeed in
carrying forward the Peace Process and the constitution writing. On August 2011, Maoist Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai
became third Prime Minister after the election of constituent assembly. On 24 May 2012, Nepals's Deputy PM